Recognition
by K.H. Wright
Summary: It's Sealand's birthday and Latvia has the perfect gift in mind.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Another Sealand/Latvia fic for my friend Cheryl~ Thank you so much for giving me this idea~ **

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Latvia stared up at his calendar and sighed. He drew a red cross over one of the little boxes and then turned the page over to September and stared at the second box in the grid. September 2nd. Sealand's birthday. He scratched his head. What was he going to do for the boy's birthday? He had thought through pretty much every idea, and turned down them all. With another sigh, he went downstairs for breakfast.

He greeted his oldest brother in the dining room and took a seat next to him.

"Good morning Latvia," he said with a yawn.

"Morning Lithuania," Latvia responded sadly. Lithuania looked over at him with concern in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Latvia related his troubles to his brother.

"What should I do? He's my best friend; I wanna do something special for him."

"Well, what does he want?" Lithuania asked, hoping he could help.

"I haven't exactly asked him…" Latvia started, "But I want him to be completely surprised when I give it to him."

"Okay…what kinds of things does he like?"

"Um, well he likes those action figures that Japan makes, but he's got a million of those…" He stopped as an idea jumped on him. "Wait, I've got it!"

"What?"

"What Sealand wants more than anything in the entire world is to have all the other nations recognize him. That's it!"

"Uh, Latvia, I don't think you could get everyone to agree to make him a nation…maybe something a little smaller?"

"No, I can do this, I just have to convince everyone right?" he said hopefully, standing up and leaving the table. "I'll be back later." And with that he left.

Estonia entered the room in his younger brother's wake, carrying three plates of food.

"Where's Latvia?" he asked.

"He's off on an impossible mission," Lithuania sighed.

"Ah," Estonia said, sitting down. "Well he better get home before Russia notices he's gone."

In silence, the two brothers ate, wondering what their little brother could be up to.

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**Hehe, I'm really excited for this fanfic. ^_^ The next chapters will be longer; this just seemed like a good place to stop. Anyway, please review. I would appreciate it~**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Better get that picture done Shar, here's chapter two! :D**

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"Who?" America asked, tilting his head to the side. Latvia sighed, sad mostly because he expected that answer.

"Sealand, he's England's little brother?" he tried. "Short, always wears a sailor suit?"

"Not ringing any bells…"

"He comes to some of the world meetings and people ignore him?"

"You mean Canada?" Latvia let out an exasperated breath.

"No. Sealand," he said again.

"Okay, Sealand. What about him?" America asked, leaning his head on his hand. He had had a long night watching horror movies and he was tired. And this conversation was boring him.

"Well you see, his birthday is coming up, and what he wants more than anything is to be recognized as a country. So I'm trying to get everyone to sign this petition." Here he pulled a piece of folded paper out of his jacket pocket. America adjusted his glasses.

"I don't know…" he said. "England said to not sign something if I don't understand it…" Latvia felt his heart fall then resurface as he was hit with an idea.

"What if I got England to sign it first?"

"Hm. I guess that'd be alright," America smiled. "Come back once he signs it, and I'll do the same. But larger, so people look at my signature first." And with that, he dismissed Latvia and went back to playing video games with Tony. Latvia turned to leave the house and contemplated how he was going to get England to sign. He had expected the aspect of being the first to sign something would have won America over, so he hadn't planned anything out, but England was smart. He wouldn't just blindly sign something.

"Oh well," he said. "I'll figure something out on the way there."

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"You want me to do what?" England said in a fit of laughter. Latvia trembled with agitation. He hadn't thought of anything on the way there.

"I want you to sign a petition to make Sealand an official nation," he murmured. England continued his laughing fit even harder.

"B-but he's your brother, you should want good things for him."

"I am his brother and I know that he's not prepared to be a nation. He's just too little," England explained, dabbing the sides of his eyes with a napkin. Latvia turned red with indignation.

"I'm small, and I do just fine, thank you."

"You call relying on Russia, 'just fine?'" That hurt. Latvia looked at the ground. England felt bad.

"Look Latvia, I didn't mean to make you feel bad, but do you want to put Sealand in the position you're in?"

"He won't be in the position I'm in. He's stronger than that," Latvia said with resolution. England sighed.

"Give me the paper. I'll sign," he said. Latvia perked up.

"Really? You mean it?"

"Yeah, now give it to me before I change my mind." With that, England quickly signed the paper and handed it to Latvia. "Who're you going to hit up next?"

"Oh, America. He said he'd sign if you did."

"Oh…" England turned red. Latvia decided not to ask any more questions. With his paper in hand, he took off to America's house, where the other man signed the paper (larger than England's, just like he promised.)

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**Haha! It is finished! :D Please review~ I'll love you forever!**

**Not the whole thing finished. Just this chapter. xDD *edit***


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So here I am…on the road again. But wait! This time I have my laptop! *holy music* Yes, yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am writing on the road (I'm not driving so don't worry.) Anyway, I'm really having fun with this fic. :) I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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Latvia woke up groggy and extremely jet-lagged. Time zones were a bitch. America had been nice enough to let him stay at his place for the night, and he couldn't believe how bad American time disagreed with him. As much as he hated to admit it, it would be nice when he got back home to Russia's place, where the time was _normal._ He decided not to think on it anymore. He was doing it for Sealand, and that's all that mattered. With a groan, he got out of bed and dressed for the day.

He decided his next move would be to talk to Germany. He was hoping that the signatures of two large countries would be enough to persuade the other man. This didn't seem likely though, so he took off to Germany's place with a sick feeling in his stomach.

When he arrived at Germany's, he stood at the door for several minutes, his petition clutched in his hand and his heart hammering in his chest. He shouldn't be so nervous, but Germany was an intimidating man, and he really didn't want him to say no. But finally, with resolution, he knocked on the door and waited for a response. The door opened a few minutes later.

"Yes? What is it?" asked the large German looking just above Latvia's head, before finally dropping his gaze to the much smaller kid.

"Uh, hello Mr. Germany. L-Latvia here. I'm going around trying to get all the countries to sign my petition, and I was wondering if you'd like to help me out."

"A petition, huh?" Germany said, rubbing his chin. "A petition for what?"

"I'm trying to get Sealand recognized a country," he explained.

"Who?" Germany asked. Latvia sighed and went through the same explanation that he went through with America.

"Look, it's not any work on your part, just sign your name under England's and America's, and I can move on," he said rather bluntly.

"Hmm," Germany hummed. "How dedicated are you to this cause?" Latvia stiffened.

"I'll do it if it kills me."

"Prove it," said Germany, and he motioned for Latvia to follow him.

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"PICK UP YOUR FEET! MOVE IT! MOVE IT!" screamed Germany as Latvia ran another lap. He was still caked in dirt from having to army crawl under a wire mesh, his arms were still sore from climbing, and his legs ached from the last twenty laps he had run. He refused to give in though. He would run a million laps if he had to if it meant that he'd get to see Sealand's face when he handed him the petition. So even as his legs turned to cotton and his lungs burned, he continued the laps.

"Okay," Germany called, "that's enough laps, come over here." Latvia nodded, and ran up to the larger country.

"Yeah? What's next?" he asked, scared to hear the answer. Germany looked down at him a bit surprised.

"Actually, I was going to say you've proven yourself quite nicely," he said. "Give me your petition. I'll sign it." Latvia nearly fell on to the ground in relief. He reached into his inner shirt pocket and pulled out the paper. Germany took it and signed his name below America's.

"Good luck with everyone else," he said, and went inside. Latvia took that as his dismissal and swung around to the front yard. His next destination: home. He was in desperate need of a shower.

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**So I started this in the car and ended it days later. xD Well, it's done and that's all that matters. Please leave a quick review. I'd appreciate it. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I always run out of things to write about halfway through a fic. Oh well…just read it. xD**

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Latvia dried his hair with a towel, hoping he had gotten all the mud out of it. He had taken an hour long shower, making sure he was clean and that the dirt had completely washed out of the tub, spending the entire time thinking of what his cause of action would be. First of all, he would ask his brothers to sign. He was sure they were going to do it, not being able to imagine his own flesh and blood turning down something that meant so much to him.

He dressed and traveled out into the hall, looking for his brothers. After looking for quite a few minutes, he found Lithuania and Estonia in the library drinking tea and having a pleasant conversation. He pulled the paper out of his pocket and approached them.

"Hey guys," Latvia said, holding out the paper. "You wanna sign the petition?"

"The one to make Sealand a country, right?" Estonia asked, adjusting his glasses. He shrugged. "Sure, I'll sign." And so he did, right under Germany's name. Latvia smiled and looked to his oldest brother, who averted his eyes. Latvia's smile faded.

"Lithuania?" he asked, his voice small.

"Look, Latvia-" he started, but Latvia cut him short.

"What? Are you gonna tell me he doesn't deserve to be a country? Or that he's too small? Or how about how you 'don't want him in the same position as us?' I've heard all the excuses Lithuania, what's it gonna be this time?" Angry tears ran down his face. He couldn't believe his brother would betray him like this. Grabbing his petition, he ran out of the library and up to his room.

In his room, he flopped down on his bed and covered his head in his arms, crying bitterly. He heard a knock come at the door, but he disregarded it. It was probably Lithuania coming to explain himself, and Latvia really didn't want to hear it. There was a silence on the other side of the door, and for a little bit, he thought Lithuania had left, but then the door creaked open and Latvia felt his face heat in anger.

"Go away," he said, his tone muffled by his arms. Lithuania didn't say anything, but sat on the bed next to him, laying a hand on his brother's back.

"I said go away," he said again, burying his head deeper in his arms.

"Won't you at least hear me out?" the older man said in a quiet voice. Latvia didn't reply. He heard his brother sigh.

"I'm not refusing to sign to be mean," he started. "I just don't think you're thinking this through. Being a country is a difficult thing. You should know this. I don't want to see Sealand get hurt, because I know it'll hurt you too. Can you understand what I'm saying?" Latvia sniffled and wiped his eyes.

"No, I can't understand," he said. "Could you honestly say you'd rather live your life unrecognized by everyone around you?" Lithuania didn't answer. Latvia nodded.

"That's what I thought." He picked up his petition and pen, and handed it to his brother. Lithuania looked down at it then handed it back.

"If I'm gonna sign," he said with a smile, "at least give me the honor of being the one to put it over the top. I'll sign it at the party right in front of Sealand himself." Latvia grinned from ear to ear and grabbed his brother in a quick hug.

"Thanks, Lithuania!" he exclaimed. Then, looking at the clock, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

"I gotta go! I need to go talk to France, I'm sure he'll sign, he's the sentimental type." Lithuania laughed.

"Go get 'em!" Latvia grabbed his petition and flew out the door. Lithuania continued smiling until he was sure his brother was gone. He sighed.

"I can be such a pushover…" he said, and then left the room, and went on with the rest of the day.

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**Ah, brotherly love. So sweet. xD Anyway, on to France! *plays dramatic music* Please review!~**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: France…That's all there really is to say. xD**

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Latvia sat uncomfortably on the couch as France read over his petition. He couldn't help but feel on edge, especially since his self-confidence had been rocked by Lithuania's former opposition to his cause. He was able to get Lithuania back on his side, but he didn't know if he could do that with France. Latvia was torn from his worrying when he heard France hum loudly.

"So tell me again why you want to get," he looked down at the paper, "Sealand is it?"

"Yes."

"Right. So why do you want to get Sealand recognized as a nation?" France asked rubbing his chin. Latvia sat up straight. He was prepared for this. He had constructed a whole list of reasons on the way to France's place on why Sealand should be a country. After his setback with his brother, he had made sure that his argument was sound. Without further prompting, he launched into his list, only to have France hold up a hand to stop him.

"I didn't ask why he _should_ be a country, I asked why you _want_ him to be a country," he stated, a knowing gleam in his eyes.

"I-I'm not sure what you mean…" Latvia stuttered. France picked up the petition and turned it towards the young man.

"Well, you seem to have gotten quite a few signatures: America, England, hell you even got Germany to sign. That's devotion. So, why are you doing it?"

"For his birthday. I wanted to give him something special," he explained.

"Why?"

"Um, because he's my friend."

"Is that all?" France asked, smiling deviously. Latvia was confused for a moment, but then he finally understood France's implication and turned bright red.

"N-no! I mean, yes! I mean…we're just friends!" he exclaimed. France chuckled, stroking his beard.

"Your blush says otherwise," he pointed out. Latvia looked to the ground. Did he like Sealand like that? He had never thought about it. True, he loved the younger boy in his own way, but romantically? It seemed silly to think about; they were both so young. Puppy love maybe? Latvia turned even redder. It sounded fitting.

"Okay…so maybe I have a little…crush on him," Latvia started, but before he could say another word, France cut him off again.

"So, why do you want him to be a country?" France asked again. Latvia let out a sigh of frustration.

"Because I really like him and I want him to be happy," he said, red-faced.

"Now there's an honest answer," France replied, taking out a pen and signing his name under Estonia's.

"Ah, I'm just the reincarnation of Cupid!" he sighed as he handed the paper back to Latvia. The younger nation rolled his eyes. He quickly said his goodbyes and left. He had a lot of work still ahead of him.

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**Writing this was like giving birth. Please be nice to my baby and leave a review. :]**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm runnin' out of steam, ya'll. D: I'll probably finish this up in the next chapter or so, and then I'll be back underground. Or who knows, maybe I'll find inspiration along the way. Ah the life of an inconsistent writer. Anywho, please enjoy.**

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Latvia stood in the doorway, shaking like a leaf. He shouldn't have been as nervous as he was. Hell, he had gone over the world. He had worn himself out, but he had succeeded in getting every country to sign, which had been no easy task. So, what was Russia compared to the whole world? He didn't know. But the thought of knocking on the door to his study and asking him for his signature rooted Latvia to the ground.

He reached a shaky hand toward the door, but stopped halfway through a knock. There was no way he'd be able to convince Russia. Hell, there's no way he'd even be able to form a coherent statement. He was about to turn and leave, when the image of Sealand smiling and laughing came to his mind. He thought of how happy the boy would be when he handed the petition to him. How he would smile…

Latvia knocked on the door.

There was a moment of horrible silence before Russia bid him to enter. Latvia took a deep breath and opened the door with a confidence he didn't feel.

"H-hello Mr. Russia," he started, staying in the doorway" I-I h-have this petition you see…"

"Petition?" Russia said, interrupting. "What for?"

"Um, it's to-"

"Why don't you take a seat?" Russia interrupted once again. Latvia was apprehensive, but slowly he moved forward and took a seat in front of Russia's desk.

"I h-have this petition to make Sealand a recognized country. A-all you have to do is sign your name right here," Latvia said, handing Russia the paper. He read it over once, then with a childish smile, he looked up at Latvia.

"Hm, why should I?" Russia asked.

"Well, you see, he…" Latvia sputtered. He couldn't speak. He couldn't remember any of his well thought out ideas. His brain had turned to mush and he found himself both embarrassed and terrified.

"Ah, so you don't know. Maybe I should just tear this up then?" Russia said, still smiling childishly and holding up the paper in both his hands. Latvia felt his heart sink. All that work, all that time, all gone to waste. He wanted to jump up and grab the paper from Russia's hands, but once again, fear stopped him in his place. Just as the older man made a move to rip the paper, the door behind Latvia swung open and revealed his older brother Estonia, carrying a platter.

"Mr. Russia, I've brought you your tea," he said, oblivious to the tense atmosphere. Latvia looked to him then to Russia. He was surprised to see that the smile from the other man had faded and…was that a blush on his face?

"Ah, Estonia, thank you," he mumbled. Estonia walked in and placed the platter on the desk in front of Russia.

"Oh, are you going to sign the petition too?" Estonia asked, looking over Russia's shoulder.

"Ah, ye-yes I was," he said, taking out a pen. He signed his name at the way bottom underneath Italy's childish scrawl and handed the paper to a confused Latvia. Deciding that he wasn't going to argue with a good thing he thanked Russia and left his brother and the older man alone.

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"Lithuania! Lithuania! I did it!" Latvia exclaimed, running down the hall. Lithuania looked up from making dinner and smiled at his brother.

"Congratulations!" he said, patting his little brother on the head. "How'd you get Russia to sign? I was worried he wasn't going to." Latvia laughed nervously.

"I'm not sure. I think I may have to thank Estonia for that…"

"Estonia?" Lithuania asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not entirely sure what happened," Latvia admitted. "But I got everyone to sign! Now, I just have to put the party together." He smiled up at Lithuania and then took off down the hall to start the plans. The older man watched him run off, shook his head and went back to cooking.

"Russia and Estonia, eh? Crazy world…"

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**Okay, so there it is. One more chapter left! Oh and special thanks to Cheryl (AKA Lord of the Plushies) for giving me this idea along with great bouts of inspiration. **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Okay, so last chapter. I really enjoyed this fic. Hope everyone else did too. :]**

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"That was a lot of fun, Latvia!" exclaimed Sealand, smiling over at his friend. Latvia smiled back. He had taken the boy out to one of America's amusement parks for the day while his brothers decorated Sealand's place for the party and they had had a great time. Latvia couldn't help but be proud of himself. He had kept the petition and the party a complete secret from Sealand. He was excited to see the surprised look on the other boy's face when he saw his home all decked out with balloons and streamers. And even more excited to see how happy Sealand would be when Lithuania put the final signature on the petition, turning him into an official nation. He giggled to himself. It was going to be great.

The helicopter ride to Sealand's place felt like it took forever. One, because he could barely contain his excitement, and two, because he could hardly contain his lunch. Somehow the crazy amusement parks didn't faze him, but riding in a helicopter made him sick to his stomach. He was more than relieved when the metal island came into view.

"Hey, Latvia! Do you see that? My whole home is covered in decorations!" Sealand said, leaning to look out the window. Latvia tried to contain a smile, but failed. Sealand sat back down in his seat.

"Did you do this?" the younger boy asked. Latvia shrugged his shoulders.

"Technically, no," he said with a sly smile. "I was with you at the park, remember?"

They landed and Latvia took Sealand's hand, leading him into the ex-fort to where the party was. As they entered, they were met by a chorus of voices.

"Happy birthday Sealand!"

Latvia was as shocked as Sealand. He had only expected his brothers, but inside, around a brightly colored three-layered cake was a throng of other nations. America, England, Germany, France, China, Japan, Italy, Romano, and even Russia had joined Lithuania and Estonia in welcoming Latvia and Sealand to the party.

"I hope you don't mind," started Lithuania, "we took the liberty of inviting a few people."

"I made the cake!" America exclaimed.

"We couldn't have guessed," England said sarcastically. Latvia was speechless. He looked over to Sealand to see the other boy beaming at him.

"You threw me a surprise party? You're the greatest, Latvia!" The older boy blushed red.

"That's not everything," he told him, pulling out his petition from his shirt pocket. "Lithuania?"

"Right here." Lithuania pulled a pen from his pocket, took the petition and signed his name below Russia's. Latvia took the paper back and turned back to Sealand.

"There, Sealand, with that signature, you are now a recognized nation." He handed the paper to the boy. "Happy birthday." Applause broke out from the other nations. Sealand was stunned.

"R-really?" he asked. Latvia smiled.

"Check the signatures, everyone has signed." For another moment, Sealand was silent, then with a grin from ear to ear, he grabbed Latvia in a big bear hug.

"Thank you so much," he said, happy tears rolling from his eyes. Latvia hugged the boy back.

"Anything for you," he swore. Their tender moment was interrupted by a collective "aw" from most of the nations. They broke away from each other, beat red.

"A-anyway, how about some cake?" Latvia stuttered.

"I like the way this kid thinks," America said.

"Shut up you glutton," England said, causing a few nations to snicker at America's expense.

"You're one to talk. Is it me, or does your outfit seem a bit tight, England? Maybe you should go for a run every once in a while," France said condescendingly.

"What did you say about England?"

Other nations jumped in, until everyone in the room was completely lost in the dissonance of voices. Latvia laughed nervously.

"Welcome to the fray," he told Sealand.

"It's worth it," Sealand responded. He reached up and kissed Latvia on the cheek.

"Now let's get some cake before they all calm down and America eats it all."

Latvia laughed despite himself. He took Sealand's hand and the two boys walked through the crowd, happy to be together on such an important day.

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**Okay, there ya go! I kinda adlibbed at the end, so I hope it's alright. Anyway, I'd like to thank all of you who took the time to review. You really kept me going.**

**-K.H. Wright**


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